You are nothing to do with the observer. You are not the observer because you exist within the observed.+

Some Gurus hold ‘you’ as an observer but it is an error. You are nothing to do with the observer.   You are not the observer because you exist within the observed.  You are not the observer because the ‘Self is not you but the ‘Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness.

One must know what is an observer and what is observed.  The Soul, which is hidden by the dualistic illusion, is the observer.  The world in which you exist is the dualistic illusion is observed.

You are the observer within the dualistic illusion whereas the Soul, the Self is the observer of the whole dualistic illusion.

Those who propagate the Self as you are propagating half-baked knowledge.

Doer and doing and the world is nothing to do with the Soul, the Self.  The Soul is not an individual because it is the cause of the whole universe.  The Soul, the self is hidden by the universe. 

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the universe is non-existent as a reality because the universe is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

There is no such thing as the ‘I’ because ‘I’ is an illusion created out of the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Remember:

 If the ‘I’ is an illusion the mind is bound to be an illusion because the ‘I’ is the mind itself.

If the mind is an illusion then the form, time, and space are bound to be an illusion because the form, time, and space together is the mind. 

If form, time, and space are an illusion then the universe is an illusion because the universe ceases to exist without form, time, and space.

 If the universe is an illusion then the waking experience is bound to be an illusion because the universe appears as the waking experience.

 If the waking experience is an illusion then the individual experience of the birth, life, death, and the world is an illusion because the individual experience of the birth, life, death, and the world is present only in waking experience.

Remember:~

 If ‘I’ is absent then the illusion is absent.

 If the ‘I’ is absent then the mind is absent.

 If the ‘I’ is absent then the form, time, and space are absent.

If the ‘I’ is absent then the universe is absent.

If if the ‘I’ is absent then the waking is absent.

If the ‘I’ is absent then the individual experience of birth, life, death, and the world is absent.

 If the ‘I’ is absent then the Soul, the Self is present as formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

What is the use of sticking to the ‘I’, which is the dualistic illusion?

As the seeker's understanding of ‘what is what ‘grows, gradually the seeker gets a glimpse of truth. Whatever is based on the waking entity is falsehood and whatever is based on the formless Soul, the innermost Self is real and eternal. 

Thus the seeker of truth must make sure the waking entity (ego) is not the Self but the Self is formless Soul to acquire Self-knowledge. :~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara:~ "Without knowing and inquiring into the external world, one can’t know the Truth, as the idea that the external world exists, won't go.+

A Gnani has realized the Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

A Gnani has realized the universe is nothing but consciousness. A Gnani is fully aware that consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or verily becomes Brahman because he is fully aware of the fact that he, his body, and the world in which he exists is nothing but an illusion created out of the consciousness.  

The Self is always present but it is hidden by the dualistic illusion or Maya. The Maya is present in the form of the universe.  And you will find it if you seek it earnestly. The cause of the universe is ignorance. Without ignorance, the universe ceases to exist.

The limitations of illusory form time and space on the Soul, the ‘Self’ make you struggle to transcend them. All pain and pleasure are a reality within the universe. With the universe comes all your experience of birth, life, death.

Remember:~

Sage Sankara: ~ VC~ "All this universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but Brahman (consciousness) which is absolutely free from all the limitations of human thought.

Sage Sankara: ~VC~ if the universe is true, let it then be perceived in the state of deep sleep also. As it is not at all perceived, it must be unreal and false like dreams.  

Ashtavakra Gita: ~ The universe rises from the Soul, the innermost ‘Self’ like bubbles from the sea. Thus know the ‘Self’ to be One and in this way enter into the state of dissolution."

Sage Sankara said: ~A.A~ 88- When the whole universe, movable and immovable, is known to be Atman (consciousness), and thus the existence of everything else is negated, where is then any room to say that the body is Atman?

That is why Sage Sankara Says: ~ VC-63- Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the ‘Self’ how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word Brahman? — It would result merely in an effort of speech.

To say the universe is an illusion without first examining it and inquiring into its nature thoroughly is to delude oneself. This world is common to every one of us; therefore the seeker of truth must begin his inquiry with it. It is only after he has inquired into the nature of the objective world, he realizes the universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness is absolutely free from all the limitations of human thought.

Those who assert the world is not an illusion because they are unaware of the fact that, the world is the reality within the illusion (waking). And they are frightened to consider the world as an illusion. Without considering the world as an illusion, it is impossible to acquire ‘Self’-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Sage  Sankara:~ VC-63-"Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know the Truth, as the idea that the external world exists, won't go. It can go only by an inquiry into the nature of the external world.

After verifying through deeper inquiry if one finds the world is the reality within the illusion then he cannot again say the world is not an illusion.

If one is frightened to accept the world is an illusion (waking) then he is unfit to acquire ‘Self’-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Those who are stuck with the reality of the world are stuck with the reality of the individual experiences of birth, life, and death, which take place within the unreal world. Thus the pursuit of truth is for those who have the courage to accept reality as it is, that is the reality without form, time, and space.

When you finally realize the ‘‘Self’ ‘is not you but the ‘‘Self’’ is the Soul then you will realize the world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, you, your experience birth, life, death, and the world merely an illusion created out of the consciousness, the consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.:~Santthosh Kumaar

The point of Bhagavan Buddha is that if God is non-existent, the entire creation including Self is non-existent.+

Bhagavan Buddha: ~ There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way... and not starting

Dalai Lama said:~  Buddhism need not be the best religion though it is more scientific and religion and inquisitive. But Buddhism has no answer to certain questions like the existence of Atama (Soul) and rebirth.   Dali Lama said that as an individual he believes in rebirth as he had come across a few cases of rebirth.  Modern science, Dalai Lama hoped would unearth the mystery behind the rebirth. (In DH –dec-212009-Gulbarga).

People who argue that Soul does not exist are not aware of the fact that their own existence is dependent on the Soul, which is in the form of consciousness.

One should not conclude because some great thinkers said so or some philosophy says so. Without consciousness, the mind, which is in the form of the universe ceases to exist. Man ceases to exist without the universe. The universe ceases to exist without the Soul, the innermost Self.  The Soul can exist with or without the universe.

The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the formless substance and the witness of the mind. The mind is present in the form of the universe. The universe appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self the birth, life, death, rebirth, and reincarnation theory is part of the dualistic illusion.  Your body cannot reincarnate because it is insentient. 

Bhagavan Buddha: ~ Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. 

Sage Sankara opposed the Buddhists only, who misunderstood Bhagavan Buddha and became atheists. According to Sage Sankara meditation always means the critical analysis about the Self to get salvation from worldly tensions. Due to the eccentric ego of the then atheists, Sage Sankara did not go beyond this since the atheists will not accept God beyond themselves. This limitation is not due to limited knowledge of Sage  Sankara but is due to the then-existing situation of the psychology of the surrounding society. 

Even Bhagavan Buddha kept silent about God because the society dealt by Him consisted of Purvamimamsakas, who were strong atheists. Bhagavan Buddha told that everything including the Self is only relatively real (Sunya). This is correct because the Self is a part of the universe, which is relatively real with respect to the absolute unimaginable God. The Bhagavan Buddha stopped at this point because the atheists cannot realize the existence of the unimaginable God indicated through His silence. 

The point of Bhagavan Buddha is that if God is non-existent, the entire creation including Self is non-existent. Sage Sankara wanted to establish the existence of the Brahman. For this purpose, He made the Atman as Brahman. He brought out the identity of the Self with the consciousness and made the Atman the Brahman. Since one will not negate the existence of his Self, he will accept the existence of the Brahman, which is the Atman or Soul, the innermost Self. Both Bhagavan Buddha and Sage Sankara kept silent about the absolute unimaginable God. The same philosophy was dealt with by them from different angles in different situations.

Even in Buddhism: - Buddhist teaching has itself become a kind of interactive and Self-evolving process, much like its idea of pratityasamutpada. However, the end goal is still Nirvana, which is an experience ultimately beyond all concepts and language, even beyond the Buddhist teachings. In the end, even the attachment to the Dharma, the Buddhist teaching, must be dropped like all other attachments. The tradition compares the teaching to a raft upon which one crosses a swift river to get to the other side; once one is on the far shore; there is no longer any need to carry the raft. The far shore is Nirvana, and it is also said that when one arrives, one can see quite clearly that there was never any river at all.

Chandogya Upanishad: ~ One who meditates upon and realizes the 'Self' discovers that everything in the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantrams and meditation--all come from the Self.

Sage  Goudpada: ~ To establish the truth of Non-duality by sheer reasoning alone. He begins by defining "What is real?" "What is unreal?" etc, because that is the right way to discuss or teach. People must first know what they are talking about. (Manduka Karika)

Buddhism and its relationship with Science is like that of water and wine, one cannot say there is no water in wine, but when you drink it, it would not be the water but wine... thus Einstein’s view is water in wine because modern science does not believe in the matter but in this religion, everything is the matter only"

Sage Sankara says you must first know what is before you. If you cannot know that, what else can you know or understand? If you give up the external world in your inquiry, you cannot get the whole truth.

Emptiness is the nature of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Emptiness is the fullness of consciousness without the division of form, time, and space.

For proof of God's creation of the world, you have to go back to a time when there was no world. Since this is impossible, there is no proof of creation. Hence Bhagavan Buddha kept silent. Hence four schools of Buddhism sprang up later which varied from realism to emptiness claiming to interpret his silence. 

We have one key from Sage Sankara to be applied to every statement or assertion or speculations: It is “Is this true?” “Where is the proof?” Opinions belong to scholasticism, not to Advaitic truth. Advaita has no use for opinions.

By discriminating between the dual (waking or dream) and non-dual (deep sleep) experiences and realize the existence of the formless witness of the coming and going of the three states.   The Soul, the  Self is the formless witness of the coming and going of the three states (witnessed).

From the standpoint of the Soul, the innermost Self, the three states are nonexistent as reality because the witness and the witnessed are one in essence. That essence is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Thus, the consciousness is real and all else is unreal.

The Soul, the  Self is beyond form, time, and space.  The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the very form of existence, though one would find it difficult to understand because of the intoxication of the illusory duality.

This formless non-dual Soul is beyond the mind.   The Soul, the Self is never subject to any change by any cause, but the waking is subject to change as deep sleep or dream, and when this is realized then one becomes aware of the fact that the subject and object are one in essence.

The difference between mind (universe) and Soul (consciousness) is only when one considers the waking entity (ego or you) as the Self.

From the ultimate standpoint, there is no second thing that exists other than Soul or consciousness because the formless substance and witness of the mind or universe is consciousness.   The mind and Soul are one in essence. 

Remember:~ 

Buddhism has not proved the truth of Non-duality.  There is no doubt Bhagavan Buddha pointed out the unreality of the world. Bhagavan Buddha told people they were foolish to cling to it. But he stopped there. Bhagavan Buddha came nearest to Advaita in speech but not to Advaita fully.

The distinction between Sage Sankara’s Advaita and Vijnanavadin Buddhism is that the former is mentalism i.e. mind is the real, whereas the latter is idealism, i.e. ideas are real. Advaitins follow the former.

Buddhism did not graduate its teaching to suit people of varying grades; hence its failure to affect society in Asia.

Sage Sankara opposed the Buddhists only, who misunderstood Bhagavan Buddha and became atheists. 

According to Sage Sankara meditation always means the critical analysis about the Self to get salvation from worldly tensions. Due to the eccentric ego of the then atheists, Sage Sankara did not go beyond this since the atheists will not accept God beyond themselves. This limitation is not due to limited knowledge of Sage Sankara but is due to the then-existing situation of the psychology of the surrounding society. Even Bhagavan Buddha kept silent about God because the society dealt by Him consisted of Purvamimamsakas, who were strong atheists. 

Bhagavan Buddha told that everything including the Self is only relatively real (Sunya). This is correct because the Self is a part of the universe, which is relatively real with respect to the absolute unimaginable God. The Bhagavan Buddha stopped at this point because the atheists cannot realize the existence of the unimaginable God indicated through His silence. 

Bhagavan Buddha as a constructive worker committed an error in failing to give the masses a religion, something tangible they could grasp something materialistic, if symbolic that their limited intellect could take hold of, in addition to his ethics and philosophy. Here Sage Sankara was wiser and gave religion; such as karma and Upasana.--to the ignorant masses, as well as wisdom to those of higher intellect.

The Advaita Sage Sankara' gave religion, rituals, and dogmatic instructions to the populace, but pure philosophy only to the few who could rise to it. Hence the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus, they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd.

Bhagavan Buddha's teachings that all life is misery belong to the relative standpoint only. For you cannot form any idea of misery without contrasting it with its opposite, happiness. The two will always go together. Bhagavan Buddha taught the goal of cessation of misery, i.e. peace, but took care not to discuss the ultimate standpoint for then he would have had to go above the heads of the people and tell them that misery itself was only an idea, that peace even was an idea (for it contrasted with peacelessness). That the doctrine he gave out was a limited one, is evident because he inculcated compassion. Why should a Buddhist sage practice pity? There is no reason for it.

Advaita is the next step higher than Buddhism because it gives the missing reason, viz. unity, non-difference from others, and because it explains that it used the concept of removing the sufferings of others, of lifting them up to happiness, only as we use one thorn to pick out another, afterward throw both away. Similarly, Advaita discards both concepts of misery and happiness in the ultimate standpoint of non-duality, which is indescribable.

Buddhists say that a thing exists only for a moment, and if that thing has still got some of the substance from which it was produced, how then can they deny that its cause is continuing in the effect; hence its existence is more than a moment. Vedanta is concerned with whether it is one and the same thing which has come into being or has it come out of nothing.: ~Santthosh Kumaar

Vedic God is Atman. The nature of Atman is Advaita. Advaita is God, one without the second.+

Sage Sankara strongly advocated the study of Upanishads and at the same time cautioned that the study of Upanishads alone would not lead to moksha. In matters of such as spiritual attainment, one’s own realization was the sole authority and it cannot be disputed

Sage Sankara also said the study of Upanishad was neither indispensable nor a necessary prerequisite for attaining the human goal, the moksha.

Sage Sankara pointed out; even those who were outside the Upanishad fold were as eligible to moksha as those within the fold were. He declared that all beings are Brahman, and therefore the question of discrimination did not arise. All that one was required to do was to get rid of ignorance (Avidya or duality).

Sage Sankara: ~ VC- 59- “The study of the Scriptures is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has already been known.

60. The Scriptures consisting of many words are a dense forest that merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence, men of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.

Scriptural citation quoted as authoritative only after verification and which helps to acquire Advaitic wisdom.   Advaitic truth is uncontradictable and proved the truth.

Scriptures are of value only when dealing with persons who are incapable of understanding the truth. They have no value as authority for those who use reason.

The Upanishads are self-contradictory.  Scholars even give conflicting interpretations of them. Common sense says that the final authority, therefore, is using your own reason. This does not mean you need to give up the scriptures, but you should apply your reason to them. The reason is common to all.

Katha Upanishad (1.2.5) says: ~ "Caught in the grip of ignorance, self-proclaimed experts consider themselves learned authorities. They wander about this world befooled, like the blind leading the blind."

How do you know that the scriptures of any religion contain the truth, without knowing what is truth and what is the untruth? 

 How do you know that the Guru you quote knew the truth without knowing what is Gnana? And what is ignorance?  

If you say scripture is infallible then ask yourself, What is it? A book of words! What is a word? A thought; Can you see into another man’s mind? No. Then it is impossible to see if the authors of the scripture thoughts are founded in fact or not.

How do you know that the authors of the religious holy books have spoken only the truth? How can you look into their minds when they have passed away hundreds of years ago? You cannot even look into the minds even of the living persons and know fully what is in them, how much less of a dead person? Observe how one religion is inimical towards another. Why has God created them so?

One part of your scriptures say Soul is changing, another that it is immortal. How to resolve such contradiction?" Hence even by faith, you cannot arrive at fixed notions of certitude. It is possible only by reason. Scripture can be interpreted in a thousand different ways and hence can never finally determine the truth.

Max Muller or Sage Sankara, each has different interpretations.  Most people take their own interpretations and call it Vedanta.

People take to the path of belief or of authoritarianism merely because they are the easiest ways. To seek proof is troublesome and time-taking.

The seeker of truth should not begin with God (Brahman).  God has to be proved, not assumed. Hence, so-called philosophers who take God (Brahman) for granted are not Gnanis at all.

The scholastic or mystic arguments are endless. If one says “God (Brahman) is Nirguna" another will say, "No, God is Saguna! If one says "This religion is higher" another will say, "No, it is lower." It is impossible to get anywhere with such talk because both sides are merely imagining.

Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.

Most of the self-proclaimed Gurus are open liars; their trade is to exaggerate; only they want to tell pleasant lies.

Many Gurus will teach you that all is yourself, but none of them can show that this is so, none has analyzed it scientifically, and none can prove it. Sage Sankara’s method is a rational proof so that you arrive at knowing truth i.e. Advaitic Gnana.  Scholars’ knowledge is mere dogma, parrotism, repetition of what they read in scripture.

How can the mystics know that their experience is the highest? May not be that there is a higher one beyond their experience because the truth is prior to any experience?

You may believe in a position, but you are required to prove the truth of your belief. A belief is a feeling, the truth is knowledge hidden by ignorance.

The Vedas talk about Brahman which refers to the ultimate truth or ultimate reality. The consciousness is the ultimate truth, therefore, the consciousness is Brahman and Brahman is God.

Vedic God is Atman.  The nature of Atman is Advaita. Advaita is God, one without the second.  

Remember:~ 

Yajurveda – chapter- 32: - God is  Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. He cannot be seen directly by anyone. He pervades all beings and all directions.

Thus, Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

Vedas do not permit idol worship. All the idols are of the Puranic Gods priests are referring to the Puranic Brahma as God they are ignorant of the God in Vedas even though they speak of Vedas.

Priests do not understand the meaning of the Brahman, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Vedic Gods, hardly have any significance in the present-day Hindu belief system. The Gods and Goddesses important to the Hindus of today are Ram, Krishna, Kali, Ganesh, Hanuman, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and the respective consorts of the last three, namely, Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Shakti. None of these deities figured prominently in the Vedic pantheon and some of them are clearly non-Vedic.

Yajur Veda indicates that: ~

They sink deeper into darkness those who worship sambhuti. Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc. (Yajurveda 40:9)

Those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time." (Yajurveda 40:9.)

Why worship and glorify the non-~Vedic Gods in place of Vedic God when Veda bars such activities and it also warns people who indulge in such activities are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time.

God exists prior to form, time, and space. The form, time, and space cease to exist as a reality when wisdom dawns. Thus, the Gods and Gurus have no place in the domain of the Advaitic reality. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, which is the real God. Thus, Self-realization is the only way to God-realization.

 Bhagavad Gita itself says: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God) is considered the all-pervading consciousness, which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (14.27).

When Bhagavad Gita says, God is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material then nothing has to be accepted as God other than consciousness.

Lord Krishna Says Ch ~V: ~ “Those who know the ‘Self’ in truth.". The last two words (tattvataha) are usually ignored by pundits, but they make all the difference between the ordinary concept of God and the truth about God.

The dualistic worship of "God” is only for the ignorant populace. The God in truth is only Atman, the Self. In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ “All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many God s. (7- Verse -20)

Bhagavad Gita Chapter:~ “All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many Gods. (7- Verse -20)

The Vedas confirm God is Atman (Spirit), the Self.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman the innermost self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

How can you worship God? That implies two ~ the worshipper and the worshipped, whereas God is nondual. One can worship his idea of God only or realize his unity with it when he can’t worship it as apart.

Kena Upanishad (6) Chapter I: ~ “That which cannot be apprehended by the mind, but by which, they say, the mind is apprehended-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (7) Chapter I: ~ “That which cannot be perceived by the eye, but by which the eye is perceived-That alone know as Brahman and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (8) Chapter I:~  “That which cannot be heard by the ear, but by which the hearing is perceived-That alone know as Brahman and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (9)- Chapter I:~  “That which cannot be smelt by the breath, but by which the breath smells an object-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Even in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ “Brahman (God) is in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself’.

Thus, it clearly indicates that God is without the form and attributes and ever free. The real God is stolen by ignorance and people worship ignorance as God.

When Upanishads and Vedas declare that, “God is in the form of the Athma, and God is indeed Athma itself” then why accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara:~Without inquiring into the nature of the universe, the ‘Self’ hidden by the universe will not be unfolded.+

Sage Sankara:~Without inquiring into the nature of the universe, the ‘Self’ hidden by the universe will not be unfolded.

Sage Sankara says: ~ ‘One must first know what is before him. If he cannot know that, what else can he know or understand? If he gives up the external world in his inquiry, he cannot get the whole truth.

The whole universe has to be resolutely weighed, and accurately, observed in pursuit of truth. We must inquire: ‘What is this universe?’ ‘What is this I?’ Hence, an inquiry is a necessary foundation. Hence too, the Yogi who looks only inside and ignores the world throws away part of the materials needed to find the truth.

Sage Sankara: ~ “VC~ All this universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but Brahman (Consciousness) which is absolutely free from all the limitations of human thought.

The universe is the product of ignorance. The ignorance is present in the form of the ‘I’.

Sage Sankara says:~ VC-47 “All the effects of ignorance, root, and branch, are burnt down by the fire of knowledge, which arises from discrimination between these two—the Self and the non-Self.

Until you think you are an individual separate from the world and the world that existed prior to you and you are born in it afterward the ignorance will prevail as a reality. Till ignorance is there the universe prevails as reality.

Sage Sankara:~ VC.63: ~ “Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know the Truth, as the idea that the external world exists, won't go. It can go only by an inquiry into the nature of the external world.

Without knowing the nature of the universe, it is impossible to realize the truth hidden by the universe. What is the use of trying to find your inner self before you understand the universe?  This world that confronts you is nothing but Atman.

If you do not make your induction from facts from the world before you, the world of the five senses, you are only drawing on your imaginations. Then you say “The Atma is like this, or like that." but it will be only your mental construction.

Sage  Sankara says in the commentary in Vedanta Sutra that what is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead a person to the final goal. On the contrary, such acceptance will result only in evil, in something which is detrimental to our spiritual progress.

The seeker of truth should not believe blindly without verifying all the facts from every angle. One has to reflect through reasoning over and over again without getting tired of the process.

You must inquire into the nature of the universe.

Look at everything in the universe because the universe is nothing but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Do not avoid the universe, do not shut your eyes to the universe; do not shut yourself away from the universe which is nothing but consciousness. But the yogis tell you to be non-observant and to withdraw: keen powers of observation are desirable and will help, not hinder your pursuit of truth.

Take experiences as they come to you, do not run away from the world in ascetic fear or shyness of them. To say they are an illusion (Maya) without first examining them and inquiring into them thoroughly is to delude yourself. 

This universe is common to all of us; therefore we must begin our inquiry with it and not flee. It is only after you have inquired into the nature of the universe that you should inquire into the Soul the witness hidden by the universe. If, however you inquire into the witness before the inquiry into the universe, then it is mere mysticism. What is the universe? Must precede What is this  I? in pursuit of truth.  

Sage Sankara says: ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false is real meditation, then why you are indulging in other types of meditation.

Perfect understanding and realization of ‘what is what’ leads to Self-awareness. By holding onto theories one remains in the realm of duality. You have to mentally go on dropping what is not the truth through deeper Self-search. 

Finally when you become aware of the fact that, your ego, your body, and the world are one in essence then there is Self-awareness in the midst of duality. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar